Early X-mas present to myself

[rgold1963]

Thanks for the reply RGOLD. I never even thought about the fully retracted position measurement, (will have to check tommorrow). I'd just been going on what came stock on my 273. Maybe shorter will give me more uplift?
I know that I damaged my top cylinder using it with my boxblade. I always need to fully suck it up on the cylinder to get adequate clearance if I was in any sort of dip or what not. So it seems {as we will see by your future useage} that perhaps Brian was/is right in his accessment that a 2x8 or 2x10 is entirely sufficient?
I eagerly await your opinions on what works for you!
Thanks, Greg

I was always catching my blade on things when moving around the property. Another one of the reasons I wanted a hydraulic top link. It was a real pain having to manually retract it all the way whenever I was moving from one place to the next but when I hit bumps or dips in the ground, the blade would catch on stuff. A smaller blade would probably not have that problem but I really like having the larger heavier blade for what I use it for. I also changed the position of the lower arms when I was installing the side links to the upper hole for a little more height.

Ron

 

[rgold1963]

PICTURES!

There are pictures posted!

 

[rgold1963]

That's one heck of a xmas present.
Very nice install looks factory. It sure will make things easier on you.
Enjoy!

The valves and couplings are factory. My dealer installed them and it wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be. I didn't know they had a factory kit and that the valves would be on top of the HST under the seat. It's actually a great place and there are no lines or hoses to get caught on anything when I am mowing! My arms are just long enough to reach the controls and still hold up the top link when connecting my blade or mower.

 

[rgold1963]

Very nice looking set up, looking to get one myself. The boss says no though

My wife doesn't care about the cost as long as she can get up and down the road when it snows. I explained to her that this would make the plowing go a lot faster and that was all she needed to hear!

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Ron, thanks for posting all the pics. :cool2: Everything looks very nice. :thumbsup::thumbsup: Be sure to keep us informed as to how well it works out for you.

 

[rgold1963]

Well, it finally snowed heavy enough to get out and plow. From nothing all year to around 30 incehs of wet, heavy snow this week. Got stuck several times on Tuesday and was lucky to get back up the hill so I could put the chains on. Spent 8 hours clearing the road yesterday and the hydraulic top and side link make a big difference. Not having to get off he tractor and change the blade tilt constantly was really nice. The top link also really helps when switching from asphalt to gravel and back to asphalt. I can dig in a lot better by quickly adjusting the length of the top link. Graded a nice crown into the gravel area while clearing snow! The snow was so wet and deep that I had to turn the blade around and drive backwards the entire time which was not fun but very effective. Sore neck and back today though. between the position I was sitting in and the rough ride of the chains, I don't really want to have to do that again this year! After this week, my wife wants to know why I haven't bought a snow blower yet!

Ron